Team

Eric La Brecque

Principal & Founder

Eric pursues an approach to brand communications that combines storytelling techniques from the world’s great narrative traditions with an ongoing study of marketplace dynamics. Viewing brand development as equal parts business discipline and art form, he and his teams have successfully addressed complex communications challenges for everything from cities and retail destinations to beauty products and communications technologies. In addition to helping clients achieve their business objectives through strengthening their connection with their audiences, he is dedicated to advancing brand practice through the ongoing development and refinement of tools and methods—and transforming the marketplace through the power of storytelling.


Graham Banks

Director, Account Management

Graham partners with clients to grow their business, bringing a collaborative spirit and critical insight to the workflow. Graham thrives on the energy of the creative process as well as the variety and opportunity that come with each new engagement. As a client partner, Graham quickly gets up to speed on business considerations and collaborates with the entire team to ensure an outstanding deliverable from beginning to end. Prior to joining Applied Storytelling, Graham worked at Liquid Agency (San José), Arc/Publicis (San Francisco), Seismicom (San Francisco) and DDB (Chicago) as well as a year freelancing with agencies in the UK. His involvement extends from demand-gen digital advertising to corporate rebranding and virtually everything in between.


Cynthia Murnane

Brand Strategist, Managing Director, Applied Storytelling LA

Cynthia is a skilled creative leader, mentor, and world-class designer with experience developing Fortune 500 brands. A respected mind within the design industry, she has run her own agency and is a featured speaker at many professional conferences.

Her accomplishments include leading the strategy and creative brand development for some of the world’s most recognized brands such as The Smithsonian, BP, FedEx, Charles Schwab, Motorola, Teledyne and Elsevier.

She has successfully developed branded programs for her own clients and those of leading advertising agencies, including Landor, Goodby-Silverstein, Y&R, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, Grupo Gallegos and Branding Business.

A graduate of Fine Art from the University of California, Los Angeles and Graphic Design from California College of the Arts, Cynthia’s work has been recognized and featured by the CLIOs, Communication Arts, AIGA, the British Art Director’s Club, the ADDY’s, REBRAND competition, and others.


Josef Bastian

Managing Director, Applied Storytelling Detroit

Josef believes that storytelling is more than just art and entertainment – it is foundational to the way human beings communicate effectively and learn from each other. With that in mind, Josef has spent the past few decades helping others tell their stories through robust design and strategic thinking. His ultimate focus is to optimize human performance through immersive learning, talent, and workforce development. As an author, instructional designer, and world builder, Josef adheres to the belief that a great story, well told, can change the world.


Czeslaw Obodzinski

Director, Business Insight

Czeslaw is a 35-year veteran in the business world with experience ranging from management positions in banks and investment funds to companies in the construction and manufacturing sectors. In those sectors, his involvement has included overseeing M&A and divestitures and establishing new product offerings as well as building a new franchise system for a European lingerie manufacturer. In addition, Czeslaw has helped to launch a diverse array of startup businesses in media, manufacturing, health care and financial services.

At Applied Storytelling, Czeslaw applies his business insights and industry perspectives at key points in a client engagement. He provides competitive research and market analysis and advises on ways to leverage brand insight into strategic planning and operations. He excels at identifying business-building brand opportunities as well as opportunities for enhancing the customer experience across the sum of a company’s touchpoints. In the virtuous circle between brand-building and business growth, Czeslaw closes the loop.